I Know What You Did

by N L Hinkens

  Officer Bowman looked grim. “The so-called suicide note.”

  Jo shook her head, the sickening realization flooding her. “It was never intended to be a suicide note. It was a quote that went with the drawing, the one that’s been destroyed—deliberately destroyed I’m willing to wager. Someone planted it to make her death look like suicide.”

  Officer Bowman tapped her fingernails on the desk. “This changes things. I’ll apply for a search warrant for the laptop. I can’t promise anything, but I’ve seen enough to convince me we need to take a second look.” She ejected the thumb drive and placed it in another evidence bag. “I’ll hold on to this, at least until our tech team can get access to the laptop. In the meantime, I need you to carry on as usual around Mia and Robbie. I don’t want their suspicions aroused.”

  Jo got to her feet. “I can do that.”

  “You’ll need to make yourself available in the event we have to interview you again,” Officer Bowman added. “If this turns out to be a murder inquiry, your testimony will be required in court.”

  Jo nodded. “Mia and Robbie have both been lying to me from the beginning about their relationship. I don’t know what to believe anymore, but I should mention that Mia told me recently she was scared of Robbie. She’s been drinking a lot. I’m not sure if it’s due to a guilty conscience, or to take the edge off her fear. She’s already on anti-anxiety medication—coincidentally, the same medication that Sarah and Noah took prior to their deaths. It’s called Lorazepam.”

  “Have you ever known Robbie Gleeson to be violent?” Officer Bowman asked.

  “No,” Jo admitted. “He comes across as pretty mellow and easy-going by nature. If anything, Mia’s the one who tends to fly off the handle. Everything’s a game for her. She has a cruel streak, and I think she enjoys hurting others.”

  Officer Bowman looked pensive for a moment and then reached for her walkie talkie. “We need to move quickly. It’s very possible Robbie Gleeson is the one who should be afraid.”

  28

  Later that evening, Liam and Jo were at the store picking up groceries, when Jo received a call. “It’s Robbie,” she hissed, as if he might overhear her. “What should I do?”

  “Don’t forget what Officer Bowman said,” Liam cautioned her. “Take the call. We have to act normal.”

  Heart drumming in her chest, Jo slid the bar across the screen and pressed the phone to her ear .”Hey, Robbie.”

  “Jo,” he choked out, his voice cracking. “Mia’s been arrested.”

  “Arrested! What are you talking about?” Jo asked, struggling to compose herself. “What for? Has she been drinking again?”

  “No! Nothing like that. She’s been arrested on suspicion of murder.”

  Jo let out a spontaneous gasp. Hearing Robbie say the words out loud made it seem real for the first time. Mia was officially a suspect in Sarah’s murder. Had Officer Bowman made a connection between Mia and the suicide note? Jo took a moment to steady her voice. “Murder? I don’t understand.”

  “I don’t either,” Robbie said, starting to sob over the phone. “The police think she had something to do with Noah’s and Sarah’s suicide. It doesn’t make any sense. I know what we did was wrong, but Mia would never … this is so crazy. I can’t believe this is happening.”

  “Calm down, Robbie,” Jo soothed, her eyes locking with Liam’s. “There must be some kind of misunderstanding. Why would the police suddenly arrest Mia?”

  “I don’t know, I don’t know anything. They said some new evidence came to light, but they wouldn’t tell me anything. Can you come over, please? I feel like I’m going crazy.”

  Jo hesitated. She moved the phone away from her ear and mouthed to Liam, “He wants us to go to his place.”

  Liam lifted the palms of his hands in an expression of helplessness and gave a reluctant nod.

  “All right, Robbie,” Jo said. “Give us some time to drop Claire off with the babysitter and then we’ll head your way.”

  She ended the call and grimaced. “I’m nervous about going over there, but I didn’t know what else to tell him.”

  “You did the right thing,” Liam said. “It would have looked odd if we’d refused. What I don’t understand is why they arrested Mia and not him.”

  Jo frowned. “I told Officer Bowman about Mia’s prescription for Lorazepam. And she had access to Sarah's journal in the art room. They might be going to question her about the suicide note.”

  “Yeah, and they probably don’t have a warrant for the laptop yet. They won't arrest Robbie unless they have good reason.” Liam let out a heavy sigh. “He must have known something—suspected at least. They’ll get him for concealing evidence.”

  “I’ll call Officer Bowman and let her know Robbie’s asked us to go over there,” Jo said, scrolling through her contacts. “Why don’t you text Bethany and ask her if we can drop Claire off early.”

  Jo spent several minutes bringing Officer Bowman up to speed, and then lifted Claire out of the shopping cart. “She wants us to act supportive and see if Robbie spills any useful information. We’re not to tell him anything. She’s sending a patrol car to the sub-division as a precautionary measure. Let’s go. Leave the groceries.”

  They abandoned their cart and hurried out to the parking lot, ignoring the curious stares of the other customers. On the way, Jo made a quick call to Tory. “I just heard about Mia’s arrest. I’m so sorry.”

  “I’m at the police station,” Tory replied, her voice shaking. “Mia’s confessed to luring Noah to the garage where the bodies were found, but she insists she was terrified for her life. She says Robbie threatened her. He gave her no choice but to do exactly what he said.”

  Jo swallowed hard, digesting this new information. She’d been right that Mia was hiding something. But it still didn’t mean Robbie was involved. Of course Mia would try and pin the blame on him. Jo’s thoughts raced down a myriad pathways. It remained to be seen what had really gone down in that garage that fateful night. A lover’s tryst gone wrong? Maybe Noah and Mia had conspired to kill Sarah and then Mia had taken her revenge on Noah. Whatever had transpired, surely the truth would have to come out now. “How did Mia lure Noah to the garage?”

  “She met him the night after their blowup. They were drinking vodka in his car and eating Chinese that she’d picked up on the way.” Tory let out a heart wrenching sob. “She says Robbie crushed up some pills from her prescription and told her to add them to Noah’s curry. Mixed with the vodka, it knocked him out.”

  Jo clapped a hand to her mouth. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. It was so cold, so evil. Was Robbie really capable of such a despicable act? “Go on,” she whispered into the phone.

  Tory sniveled. “Mia took Noah’s car to the garage where Robbie was waiting and then drove back to her car. She swears she had nothing to do with what happened afterward. She thought Robbie was just going to scare Noah, tell him to back off. Supposedly, Noah had discovered them kissing in Robbie’s classroom and was threatening to go to the police.”

  Jo kneaded her brow. “So, Mia’s blaming Robbie for killing Noah, but what about Sarah?”

  Tory choked back another sob. “Mia had no idea Robbie was planning to get rid of his wife too. She said he was waiting for her in the garage with Sarah in her car. She was in the driver’s seat and she looked like she was sleeping. Mia was too afraid to ask any questions—she just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible.” Tory began to whimper. “I’m so scared, Jo. Robbie set Mia up as an accessory to murder.”

  Jo grimaced. Or else Mia had been in on the scheme from the beginning. One thing was clear. Noah and Sarah hadn’t committed suicide that night. They’d been murdered in cold blood. “Robbie called a few minutes ago,” Jo said. “He wants us to go over to his place.”

  “Don’t go!” Tory said, a beat of fear in her voice. “I’m telling you, he’s dangerous.”

  “Liam’s going with me, and there’ll be a patrol car cruising
the sub-division,” Jo assured her. “We’re dropping Claire off with the babysitter. Where’s Olivia?”

  “She’s here with me at the station,” Tory replied. “I know it’s not ideal, but I’m not leaving her with Robbie.”

  “We’ll help you all we can,” Jo reassured her. “I’ll let you know what he has to say for himself.”

  Less than an hour later, they arrived at Robbie’s place. He opened the door to them, looking like he hadn’t slept in days. Tufts of dirty blond hair accentuated his bedraggled, unshaven appearance, and his motions were jittery as if he’d been drinking coffee since early morning.

  “I just can’t take it in,” he said, once they were seated in the family room. “This is crazy. How could Mia murder two people? She had nothing to do with it.”

  Jo shot Liam a quick look. Evidently Robbie wasn’t aware that Mia had already confessed to driving Noah to the garage, purportedly at Robbie’s behest.

  “Did Mia ever hint that she might have had a hand in Noah’s death?” Jo asked.

  Robbie shook his head vehemently. “Never. She was as stunned and heartbroken as I was at Sarah’s death.”

  Jo shifted uncomfortably on the couch. Somehow, she doubted that. Mia certainly hadn’t seemed too put out at Noah’s funeral. She’d said something about Noah and Sarah getting what was coming to them. As for Robbie, he and Mia had already slept together by then. Robbie maintained it was only one time, but Jo couldn’t trust anything that came out of his mouth anymore.

  He rubbed trembling fingers back and forth across his brow. “It’s the drinking. She must have blurted out something stupid that made someone question the circumstances of Noah’s death.” He lifted his eyes and stared at Jo, a crazed look in his eyes. “Or maybe the Tomasellis went to the police with their baseless suspicions. They always insisted Noah wouldn’t have committed suicide.”

  Jo felt heat rising to her cheeks. Had Robbie found out that she’d talked to Lydia? She averted her gaze, her mind flailing around for something to say.

  “It might have been Tory who went to the police,” Liam said, bailing her out. “She had an axe to grind with you. You stopped her from visiting her only grandchild.”

  Robbie gave a worried nod. “I wondered about that. She’s not a good influence on Mia. I didn’t want her around when I wasn’t home—I didn’t want her babysitting Olivia anymore either. I suppose this could be her twisted way of taking revenge.”

  “What do you mean, she’s not a good influence on Mia?” Liam prodded.

  “She was jealous of anyone who took Mia’s attention away from her,” Robbie replied. “She kept trying to poison our relationship. She was far too wrapped up in Mia’s life.”

  “What did she do that made you think she was jealous?” Jo asked.

  Robbie rubbed his hands on his thighs and sighed, a forlorn expression on his face. ”Tory was always coming between us, pointing out my flaws, undermining me, saying I was too controlling, trying to convince Mia I wasn’t a good father to Olivia. She wanted Mia to move back in with her.”

  Jo frowned, trying to reconcile the Tory she had gotten to know with the picture of Tory that Robbie was painting. Mia had said she was afraid of Robbie. Perhaps that’s why Tory had suggested Mia move back in with her. Any good mother would do the same. Jo would have to be careful what she said. She couldn’t risk alerting Robbie to the fact that she was questioning everything he told her at this point. “I know you don’t want to believe it, but have you considered the possibility that Mia might have had something to do with Noah’s death?”

  Robbie looked at her, ragged emotion in his eyes. “I don’t want to believe my wife’s lying to me. I’ve been down that road once already with Sarah.”

  Jo bristled at the comment. “You lied to Sarah too.”

  Robbie heaved out a weary breath. “It’s not like you think. I never told you this before, but I received an anonymous note—months before I got together with Mia—letting me know that Sarah was carrying on with Noah behind my back. At first, I dismissed it as a sick joke, but then Mia received a similar note, along with a picture of Sarah and Noah alone in the art room in each other’s arms. Mia approached me one day after school and showed it to me. I confronted Sarah, and Mia confronted Noah, but they both denied it. Sarah made up some lame excuse about Noah being upset about something and needing a hug.”

  Jo churned it over in her head. It could have been an innocent hug. Not entirely appropriate in today’s environment, but Sarah had a bigger heart than sense sometimes. Maybe that’s what Sarah had meant about spouses getting the wrong end of the stick. But someone had taken that picture. Someone had been watching them. Had Mia set them up?

  Robbie dragged his fingernails over his scalp. “Sarah was furious with me for doubting her. That’s when she began distancing herself. She planned that trip to Europe, even though I told her I didn’t want to go.” He sighed. “Noah was pushing Mia away too. He told her he was going to Europe that summer and was going to meet up with Sarah in Italy. What were we supposed to think? Mia and I were thrown together, just two hurt people trying to comfort each other.”

  Jo and Liam exchanged skeptical looks.

  “Why didn’t you tell us all this before?” Liam demanded.

  Robbie wiped the back of his hand across his eyes. “I didn’t want to make Sarah look any worse in your eyes. I loved her to the end. I thought she didn’t love me anymore.” He stared down at the carpet in front of him, tears streaming down his cheeks.

  “I’m sorry, Robbie,” Jo said, frozen in her seat. His tears seemed genuine, but she couldn’t bring herself to touch him. Not if there was any chance he was Sarah’s killer.

  An uncomfortable silence followed until Jo’s phone rang. “It’s Tory,” she said.

  A look of confusion flitted across Robbie’s brow. “Why’s she calling you?”

  “I’m … not sure,” Jo replied, her finger hovering over the screen.

  “You’d better answer it. She might need you to watch Olivia. I’m waiting for a call to go into the station to see Mia.”

  Jo nodded and slid the bar across the screen. “Hi Tory.”

  “Are you with him?” she asked in a hushed tone.

  “Yes. Liam’s here too.”

  “Olivia’s had enough of this place. I’ll have to take her home, unless you can look after her, so I can be here for Mia.”

  “Of course,” Jo replied. “Bring her over to our place. We’ll be home in about thirty minutes.”

  “Thanks. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  Jo ended the call and glanced at Robbie. “You were right. She needs me to look after Olivia. Maybe I can pick up some clothes for her while I’m here.”

  Robbie gave a distracted nod. “If you don’t mind getting what you need from the nursery. I can’t think straight.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’ll be right back.”

  Upstairs, she busied herself packing a bag for Olivia. She had no idea how long she would be looking after her, but the tiny clothes didn’t take up much space, so she packed plenty just in case. She glanced approvingly around the nursery before she left. Mia had done a wonderful job decorating the room with rustic shelving, floor-length drapes and an expensive crib. The glider rocker and beanbag footstool were custom-upholstered and coordinated with the drapes. By Jo’s reckoning, the nursery must have put Robbie out five times what Claire’s nursery had cost. It was certainly convenient that Sarah’s mother had passed away when she did. Almost as convenient as Sarah passing away to open the door for Mia in the first place. But maybe things didn’t really fall into Mia’s lap. Maybe it was all the result of a carefully orchestrated plan to take what she wanted. Most things in life you had to go after, as Jo knew only too well. She closed the nursery door behind her, her mind spinning from the horror of what was unfolding.

  Just as she reached the top of the stairs, the doorbell rang. She descended the stairs in time to see Robbie open the door to two police of
ficers.

  “Robbie Gleeson, you are under arrest for the murder of Noah Tomaselli and Sarah Gleeson. You have the right to remain silent. If you do say anything, it can be used against you in a court of law …“

  29

  Jo and Liam argued the whole way back to their house. Neither of them wanted to believe that Robbie had murdered Sarah, but the alternatives didn’t quite pan out either.

  “Mia couldn’t have acted alone,” Liam insisted repeatedly. “A seventeen-year-old girl couldn’t have killed two people without help. Robbie must have been involved.”

  “What if Noah helped her kill Sarah?” Jo argued. “Maybe Mia told him she wouldn’t get back together with him unless he got rid of her.”

  Liam threw her a horrified look. “The kid’s dead! I can’t believe you’re tossing Noah under the bus like that!”

  “I’m not. I’m just thinking through all the possible angles. Mia’s a very accomplished liar and a masterful manipulator.”

  “As much as I hate to say it, I think Robbie was involved,” Liam said. “It would take a man’s help to get Noah out of his car and put him in the passenger seat of Sarah’s car. Noah was a big guy.”

  “Mia could have pulled it off somehow. That girl could do anything she put her mind to.”

  “She’s petite,” Liam pointed out. “She might have been able to haul Noah out of his car, but there would have been drag marks on the garage floor. The police would have noticed something like that.”

  “You might be underestimating her strength,” Jo said, unwilling to concede the point. “I can’t believe Robbie’s a cold-blooded killer—not unless he looks me straight in the eye and admits it.”

  Liam sighed. “This isn’t getting us anywhere. We need to let the police do their job.”

  “I don’t have much faith in them. They didn’t do their job properly the first time. What makes you think they’ll get it right this time?”

  “They have new evidence now that leads in a different direction. They’re investigating murder, not suicide.”